Preps Plus.

2 Touted French Basketball Players May Not Be Eligible At Lincoln Park

December 04, 1998|By Barry Temkin, Tribune Staff Writer.

Two highly touted foreign basketball players attending Lincoln Park High School may not become eligible to play there this season.

Mikael Hadiri, a 6-foot-7-inch senior forward from Evreux, France, and Alex Peskine, a 6-7 senior forward from Paris, have sat on the bench in street clothes during Lincoln Park's first four games, and it appears they may remain there.

Chicago Public League Director of Athletics J.W. Smith said Thursday he is awaiting documentation confirming the two are enrolled in an Illinois High School Association-approved foreign exchange program before clearing them to play.

But both players are 19 years old, and according to Rich Banasikowski of Nacel Open Door, a Minnesota-based foreign exchange agency, U.S. Information Agency rules prohibit a student from entering an exchange program if he is older than 18 years 6 months upon enrolling in school.

Asked if exceptions can be made, Banasikowski replied, "Not at all."

Hadiri and Peskine meet IHSA age requirements but would fail to meet the requirement they be participants in an approved foreign exchange program. Without that participation, they would be treated as transfer students and face the likelihood of being ineligible for up to a year, an IHSA representative said.

Peskine played last season at Cathedral Academy in Decatur, Ga., averaging 11 rebounds a game. Hadiri attended school last year in France while playing for a club team. Both have attracted attention from Division I college recruiters.